Patch a Match, Natch

Sunday, May 15, 2011 by Bill.

I first heard of Patch.com from Ryan Sebastian of Treatbot. A few months back we were chatting at a South FIRST Fridays event and he told me Treatbot had been interviewed by Adelaide Chen of Milpitas Patch, and that Mayra Flores de Marcotte was preparing to launch a new Campbell Patch. I knew Mayra’s handmade Kerfufle jewelry and her husband Josh’s Lost San Jose photography from exhibits at The Usuals. Treatbot…South FIRST Fridays…The Usuals…these are all luminous bodies in the AllCamino firmament, so let’s say Patch.com came to me well-recommended by these indirect El Camino connections.

I immediately checked it out and learned Patch.com is a slick, coordinated, AOL-owned network of hyperlocal news sites about communities across the country. Several are in California so I subscribed to all the Bay Area Patches for cities that lie on El Camino Real or have mission connections. I figured this would be an excellent way to catch news stories about the road. My current, growing list of Patches to follow is:

• Gilroy Patch
• Santa Cruz Patch
• Campbell Patch
• Mountain View Patch
• Los Altos Patch
• Palo Alto Patch
• Menlo Park Patch
• San Carlos Patch
• Belmont Patch
• San Mateo Patch
• Burlingame Patch
• Millbrae Patch
• San Bruno Patch
• South San Francisco Patch
• Milpitas Patch
• San Rafael Patch

Back in November, as I was embarking on the the Shellmound Peace Walk through Milpitas, I contacted Adelaide in the spirit of networking and to my surprise got signed on as a freelance contributor. Since then she has given me the opportunity to write three articles for Patch—my first experience in journalism. It was a blast writing with a professional voice and (full disclosure) it was quite cool to be paid for those pieces.

Recently, however, she let me know that all Patches are adding a new feature: blogs. They are offering space for bloggers to write in their own voices about local topics they are passionate about. Patch bloggers don’t get paid, but they gain expanded exposure to a wider audience while retaining independence and ownership over the content. I knew right away this was a natural fit for me. Freedom!

I contacted the various Patch editors and so far the response has been quite positive. This is new for everyone so I’m still figuring out how it will work, but here’s the vision. AllCamino.com will continue to exist independently exactly as it does today; I’ll still do what I do. But if I write a post that might interest a particular Patch’s readers, I may cross-post to that Patch’s blog. Or I might write a standalone piece at Patch and just link to it here.

I’m taking baby steps now. I  just published my first Patch blog at Los Altos Patch. The editor there, L.A. Chung, was the first to activate my Patch blog and she’s been very supportive and helpful so to her go the spoils. Click the link to read it:

An El Camino Real Journey

By Bill Moore | May 10, 2011
El Camino Real is an important part of California history and Bay Area life. AllCamino.com is a blog that celebrates the past, present and future of The Royal Road.

It’s a fairly generic piece. My intention is to use it as an introduction on every Patch. See, I can do that. Freedom!

Do you like my profile photo there? It took me many takes and half an hour to get it right. It’s a trick-shot self-portrait and all I had as a guide was the little mirror on the back of my cameraphone. It was a lot harder than I expected and I got some funny looks from drivers whizzing by on El Camino. Can you locate that bell?

I think this Patch relationship will be a lot of fun. The symbolism is irresistable. AllCamino is the virtual link among the various Patches, just as El Camino Real is the concrete link that joins the real cities. These Patches are stitched together by a common thread that together make up the fabric of Northern California. Um, too much? Sorry about that.

I love the breathless tone of press releases—they’re invariably so thrilled!—and I always wanted to write one, so here we go:

Today AllCamino.com is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Patch.com. Blogger Bill Moore says, “This is the dawn of a new era of Bay Area hyperlocal storytelling. AllCamino and Patch create unique synergy and an enhanced value proposition for our combined readership along the El Camino Real information superhighway.” Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and recent addition to the AOL family, remarks, “We are thrilled to roll out one of the most exciting offshoots of our turbo-charged web presence. This week we launch a great new chapter for Patch.com.”

That’s a real quote from Arianna, by the way, just not about me specifically. A real journalist wouldn’t take a quote out of context like that, but hey I’m a blogger. Freedom!

Posted in Milpitas, Belmont, South San Francisco, Millbrae, people, Los Altos, San Rafael, Santa Cruz, Gilroy, First Street, San Mateo, meta, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, El Camino Real, San Jose, Mountain View, San Bruno, web, San Carlos, Burlingame, news, The Alameda | Print | 2 Comments »

Under El Camino

Friday, December 10, 2010 by Bill.

InMenlo.com has published a really cool story about the El Camino Real bridge over San Francisquito Creek on the Santa Clara - San Mateo county line. There are several such bridges where El Camino crosses over all the creeks that flow out of the mountains into the Bay. They offer unique opportunities to literally get under the road and experience it from a completely different perspective. The creeks are frequented by the homeless and by graffiti taggers. Generally I’m not in favor of public graffiti, but tucked away down here it seems wholly appropriate. Click the headline below to read the article and see some of InMenlo’s celebrated photography.

Under Menlo: El Camino Real crosses San Francisquito Creek — InMenlo

Posted in transportation, art, history, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, El Camino Real | Print | 1 Comment »

One (Shopping) Day at a Time

Friday, November 26, 2010 by Bill.

Friday 

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend always fills me with some anxiety and dread. It’s not Thanksgiving that bothers me; I love Thanksgiving Day and the time spent with family and turkey and friends and pie and strangers and stuffing. It’s the incessant pressure to shop ’til I drop immediately after that stresses me out. I don’t begrudge our intrepid retailers the opportunity to sell me a good or service. I only resent the insistence that it happen right now.

A lot of it is my own inferiority complex. I’m a chronic procrastinator. (I intended to write this post last week.) I have been known to gleefully and frantically do the bulk of my holiday gift shopping  on Christmas Eve. So when I start seeing the ominous Black Friday notices in early November, it makes me feel bad that Halloween came and went and I didn’t even start making my lists and benchmarking pre-discount prices. Black Friday to me is all about preparation, and the day after Thanksgiving I am never prepared.

If Black Friday shopping is your thing, get out there and get your grind on. The universe of shops on El Camino Real is waiting for you. My father-in-law Harold often visits us from New Jersey for Thanksgiving and for many years he and my wife Paulette had a Black Friday tradition of heading out to Learning Express on El Camino in Sunnyvale to take care of the high-priority kids’ gifts. Sadly that store has closed and those same kids now have grown more interested in Game Stop and American Eagle.

Retail on El Camino is anchored by its regional malls. Great Mall in Milpitas opened at midnight Friday morning, luring shoppers with discounts up to 60% and a scratch-and-win gift card lottery. Stanford Shopping Center opened at 8:00AM and gave goodie bags of holiday loot to the first 250 shoppers to join their email list. The Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno opened at 6:00AM. They also have goodie bags—one lucky one of which is worth $500—and you’ll get a $15 gift card if you spend $150. Oddly Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo shows remarkable restraint. They don’t tweet, they don’t Facebook, and there’s precious little mention of Black Friday at all on their website. That’s just their style I guess.

There’s a whole lot of shopping to be done in the spaces between the malls. Every national chain store on El Camino, big box and otherwise, is vying for your business. There are too many to name. My email inbox is bursting with offers. Just swing a dead cat and you’ll save some money. Dead cats are 50% off at Necro-pet-a-porium today only, by the way, if you mention this ad.

Black Friday belongs to those who make the most noise and Cyber Monday is a clever recent nod to online shopping, but this year there’s a new named day on the fiscal calendar: Small Business Saturday. Pithy it ain’t, but its aims are noble: to call your attention to your local small businesses which depend on your patronage even more than the national chains. It’s a two-way benefit because small businesses are very efficient at re-investing money directly back into your local economy. They are a critical part of our economic recovery. November 27, 2010 is the first Small Business Saturday. It’s sponsored by American Express and if you register your Amex card at http://smallbusinesssaturday.com/Enroll, they’ll rebate you the first $25 you spend at eligible small businesses on Saturday. I don’t have a comprehensive list of participating shops on El Camino but two I know about for sure are:

• The Usuals, 1020 The Alameda, San Jose, 95126
• Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Enjoy your shopping season, and may your discounts be deep. Just save some good merchandise for me. I’ll be out looking for it on my own Red Friday…December 24, 2010.

Posted in San Bruno, memories, San Mateo, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, retail, El Camino Real, Palo Alto, events, Menlo Park, San Jose | Print | 1 Comment »

Good Food, Good Causes

Monday, November 8, 2010 by Bill.

This week you have two opportunities to help your neighbors in need while enjoying a delicious meal at a number of terrific Bay Area restaurants.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 dozens of restaurants are participating in the first annual Bay Area Dine Out. This benefits Meals on Wheels which serves meals to over 8,500 seniors throughout the entire region. Simply dine out at any of the restaurants and let them know you’re there for Dine Out, and they’ll donate part of the proceeds from your meal to this worthy cause.

The full list of restaurants grouped by county is on their website: http://dineoutnow.org/. Of course I know you are primarily interested in restaurants on El Camino Real, so I’ve taken the liberty of extracting the establishments that meet your discerning criteria.

• Lizarran Tapas Restaurant | 7400 Monterey Street | Gilroy
• Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria | 225 W. Santa Clara Street | San Jose
• China Stix Restaurant | 2110 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
• Country Inn Cafe | 2008 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
• La Paloma Restaurant | 2280 El Camino Real | Santa Clara
• Pizz’a Chicago Santa Clara | 1576 Halford Avenue | Santa Clara
• Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 3740 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
• Hobee’s California Restaurants | 4224 El Camino Real | Palo Alto
• Hobee’s California Restaurants | 67 Town & Country Village | Palo Alto
• British Bankers Club | 1090 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
• Cedro Ristorante Italiano | 1010 El Camino Real #140 | Menlo Park
• Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 1850 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
• Oak City Bar and Grill | 1029 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
• Round Table Pizza | 1225 El Camino Real | Menlo Park
• Chantilly Restaurant | 3001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
• John Bentley’s Restaurant | 2915 El Camino Real | Redwood City
• Max’s of Redwood City | 1001 El Camino Real | Redwood City
• Mountain Mike’s Pizza | 390 El Camino Real | Belmont
• The American Bull Bar & Grill | 1819 El Camino Real | Burlingame
• Celia’s Mexican Restaurant | 201 El Camino Real | San Bruno

If these don’t suit you, do peruse the full list for someplace that does. You can be excused this one time for patronizing eateries not on El Camino. It might be wise to call ahead for reservations.

If you’re in San Francisco, don’t eat too much on Tuesday because on Wednesday, November 10 you have the opportunity to do it again. An organization called Mission Graduates is putting on an event called Food for Thought at various restaurants in the Mission District. Proceeds from your meal will benefit the Mission Graduates program which works with kids from the Mission and prepares them for college. Demographically these kids are disadvantaged so this program provides crucial help for them to reach their goals through higher education. Thanks to the good folks at Stark Insider for alerting me to this event.

Find participating restaurants on Mission Graduates’ web site: http://www.missiongraduates.org/foodforthought/. Again let them know you’re there for Food for Thought.  The restaurants are not all on Mission Street or Dolores or other streets that qualify as El Camino in San Francisco, but they’re close enough that again, I’ll grant you a free pass. Thinking about all these great restaurants has put me in a charitable mood.

Bay Area Dine Out

benefiting Meals on Wheels
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
http://dineoutnow.org/

Food for Thought

benefiting Mission Graduates
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
http://www.missiongraduates.org/foodforthought/

Posted in San Francisco, Mission Street, Santa Clara, Belmont, Santa Clara Street, Gilroy, Monterey Road, Redwood City, Burlingame, El Camino Real, San Jose, Palo Alto, events, San Bruno, Menlo Park, restaurants | Print | 1 Comment »

Chris Gulker, Hyperlocal Hero

Friday, October 29, 2010 by Bill.

Copyright Chris Gulker

I was saddened to learn that one of the founders of InMenlo passed away this week. Chris Gulker founded Menlo Park’s excellent hyperlocal web site with his wife Linda Hubbard Gulker in June 2009. I don’t know the Gulkers but I discovered InMenlo this past summer and thoroughly enjoyed its professional design, personal touch, and beautiful portrait photography as I scoured it for El Camino Real news. InMenlo immediately became an inspiration for AllCamino. Chris was an avid technologist and talented photo-journalist, and it shows in the web site.

As it turns out Chris is cited as being influential in the development of blogging.  Through Gulker.com, the personal web site he started in 1995, he pioneered the ideas of the blogroll and link attribution, two elements which contributed to blogging becoming the inter-networked, mutually beneficial phenomenon that it is today.

Chris succumbed to brain cancer on October 27, 2010. He was 59. He will be missed not just by his family and friends but by the beloved Peninsula community he served so well. The global community of bloggers—hyperlocal and otherwise—owe him a debt of gratitude.

[Source: InMenlo]

Posted in meta, people, web, news, Menlo Park, El Camino Real | Print | 1 Comment »

El Camino Calendar

Friday, October 15, 2010 by Bill.

Some great events coming up this weekend are listed below in geographical order. Be sure to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.

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Sharks To Host Street Rally Saturday

Festivities will take place before first home game on Oct. 16
The San Jose Sharks will kick off their first regular season home game against the Atlanta Thrashers with a pre-game street rally on Saturday, Oct. 16. The rally will be open to the public from 5-7 p.m. and will take place next to HP Pavilion on Autumn Street between Santa Clara Street and St. John Street.

Festivities for the Opening Night rally will include performances by a BMX stunt team, carnival games, music and a live DJ from Sound in Motion, giveaways, face painting, slap shot booth and more.

http://sharks.nhl.com/

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Live It Up at Plant 51

Sunday, October 17 · 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Plant 51
734 The Alameda

Experience Plant 51 living with an afternoon gathering in our expanded outdoor courtyard, along with some great food & drinks. It’s your chance to see this vibrant community in person and get a sense of its incredible energy and character.
http://plant51.com/

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The Billy DeFrank Center 20 Somethings Coffee Night

Friday, October 15 is 20somethings coffee night at Crema Coffee! Join us, 8:30-10:30pm.
Crema Coffee Roasting Company
950 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126-3134
http://cremacoffeeco.com/
http://www.defrankcenter.org/

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Breast Cancer Connections Fundraiser at Hobee’s

Hobee’s California Restaurants Please join us this Friday night (10/15) and help support Breast Cancer Connections. Simply enjoy a fabulous Hobeemade dinner at Los Gatos, Pruneyard, Palo Alto, Stanford or Sunnyvale and mention BCC. We’ll then contribute 20% of your bill to this vital charity. It’s easy to make a difference!
http://hobees.com/
http://www.bcconnections.org/

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Dalai Lama at Stanford

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is on campus today and tomorrow! We will be livestreaming all of the speaking events, so you can follow the webcasts here: http://dalailama.stanford.edu/webcast/
Live Webcasts | Dalai Lama at Stanford
dalailama.stanford.edu
Schedule: Public Talk (Oct 14, 9:30 - 11 am PDT) | Rathbun Lecture (Oct 14, 2 - 3:30 pm PDT) | Conference (Oct 15, 9am - 4 pm PDT)

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Light the Night Walk, Palo Alto

Now entering its 12th year in the Silicon Valley, the Light The Night Walk has been an inspirational evening of healing and hope for local patients and families affected by blood cancer.
Saturday, October 16, 2010

Palo Alto High School
50 Embarcadero Road
Palo Alto, CA

Walk Distance: 2 miles
Festivities begin at 5:00 PM
Walk begins at 7:00 PM
http://www.lightthenight.org/sj/

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14th Annual Menlo Park Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest

October 15-17, 2010 in Downtown Menlo Park

Menlo Park plays host to the 14th Annual Sidewalk Fine Arts and Crafts Fall Fest Friday, October 15 through Sunday October 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This art-filled family event will give visitors the opportunity to browse and shop among the many one-of-a-kind creations perfect for home, office or gift giving displayed by a variety of talented artists.

Taking place along Santa Cruz Avenue off El Camino Real, the Sidewalk Arts and Crafts Fall Fest is free to the public and features an exciting array of original works perfect for holiday shopping by more than 90 artists and craft makers including paintings, jewelry, photography, unique wood sculptures, clothing, accessories, toys and much more.
http://www.menloparkchamber.com/news/93-14th-annual-menlo-park-sidewalk-arts-and-crafts-fall-fest

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Live Music at Cafe Borrone

A must to put on your calendar–THIS FRIDAY, October 15–LIVE MUSIC–Clint Baker’s Dixie Land Jazz celebrates 20 years at Borrones! Gaucho will be featuring singer Tamar Korn!! Both will take turns with sets from 6:00 pm-10:30 pm. This is going to be a memorable night!!! Dinner specials start at 5:00 pm.

Cafe Borrone
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA, 94025
http://www.cafeborrone.com/

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Posted in sports, Stanford, high school, Santa Clara Street, people, Menlo Park, night life, San Jose, restaurants, El Camino Real, Palo Alto, events, The Alameda | Print | 1 Comment »

The Best of El Camino Real

Saturday, October 2, 2010 by Bill.

On September 22, Metro, Silicon Valley’s weekly newspaper, put out their “Best of Silicon Valley” issue, 2010 edition. It contains the readers’ choices and editors’ picks of the best locations, goods, and services available in Santa Clara County and beyond. Of all the “Best of” lists out there, Metro’s is the one I’ve always valued the most partly because it always brings the wacky with unique categories like “Best Place to be a Scarecrow”and “Best Place to Buy an Accordian,” but mostly because it delivers. Some of my favorite joints in the South Bay proudly display coveted Metro “Best of” placards. They have weight with me, and they’ve earned my trust.

It’s no surprise Metro is so in tune with quality in the Valley. As it so happens this is their 25th annual list, a noteworthy milestone. They know what they’re doing and they do it well. You might even say too well: the sucker is pretty large. This year the printed list is 80 pages long. I scanned every page with glee but quickly realized what the problem was. They covered the entire Valley including, shockingly enough, businesses and locations that are not on El Camino Real. Yeah, I know, right? I understand their reasoning. Conceivably someone could find themselves on, say, San Carlos Street and they can’t easily get to El Camino and they desperately need to buy some sporty sunglasses. In such a scenario a two-dimensional “Best of” list could hypothetically be handy. All the same I took it upon myself to scour the list and extract for you the best of the “Best of,” the winners which are located on extended El Camino Real.

The list is below, presented not by category but in rough geographical order. Winners that are tagged with “#2″ or “#3″ came in second or third in the readers’ polling; otherwise they came in first or were simply awarded by the editors. This was a big copy-’n’-paste job so I apologize in advance for any errors I might have injected.

As I was putting this together I noticed that the list is heavily weighted towards Downtown San Jose. Then I remembered: Metro Silicon Valley is headquartered on El Camino, at 550 South First Street, in San Jose’s SoFA district. Now we know why the list is so good.

Rosso’s Furniture

#3 Best Furniture Store
6881 Monterey Road, Gilroy

Tony Di Maggio’s Pizza

Best Stromboli
3852 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

Road Rider

#2 Best Motorcycle Shop
2897 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

Southern Lumber

#2 Best Alternative to Home Depot
1402 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art

Best Art Gallery
560 S. First St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

#3 Best Art Museum
520 S. First St., San Jose

San Jose Stage Company

#2 Best Theater Company
490 S. First St., San Jose

WORKS/San Jose

Best Gallery for Weird Art
#3 Best Art Gallery
451 S. First St., San Jose
I’ve been to WORKS three times in the past month, every two weeks, and each time the exhibit has been completely different. They turn this place over fast and frequently. I loved the most recent (OP)Space installation.

South First Billiards

Best Place to Play Pool
420 S. First St., San Jose

Miami Beach Club

#2 Best Latin/Salsa Club
417 S. First St., San Jose

Bayonne

#3 Best New Restaurant
399 S. First St., San Jose
This is high on my list of places to try, featuring lighter Southern fare.

Agenda’s Wednesday salsa night

#3 Best Latin/Salsa Club
399 S. First St., San Jose

Wet

#3 Best Big Dance Club
396 S. First St., San Jose

Cherri Lakey & Brian Eder

Best Cultural Guerillas
Anno Domini, 366 S. First St., San Jose
I was unaware until now that this pair deserves a lot of credit for the cool, creative vision which San Jose’s SoFA district has become recently.

Brix Nightclub

#2 Best Gay or Lesbian Bar
349 S. First St., San Jose

California Theatre

Most Romantic Movie Watching Spot
345 S. First St., San Jose

Symphony Silicon Valley

Best Symphony/Classical Group
325 S. First St., San Jose, performances at the California Theatre

Original Joe’s

Best Moderately Priced Italian Food
Best Late Night Eats
Best Martinis
301 S. First St., San Jose

Four Points by Sheraton

#3 Best Boutique Hotel - San Jose/Los Gatos
211 S. First St., San Jose

Soula Power Yoga

Best Yoga Studio
200 S. First St. #70, San Jose

San Jose Taiko and the Bangerz

Best Collaboration
SoFA District, San Jose
So sad I missed this live. Check it out on
YouTube.

SubZero Festival

Best Urban Uprising
San Jose

Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose

Best Children’s Theater
271 S. Market St., San Jose, performances at Montgomery Theater

Tech Museum

Best History/Specialty Museum
201 S. Market St., San Jose

Tech Museum Store

#3 Best Toy Store
201 S. Market St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Art

Best Art Museum
110 S. Market St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Art Museum Store

#2 Best Gift Store
110 S. Market St., San Jose
Dang, now my Christmas gift-buying secret is out!

McCormick and Schmick’s

#2 Best Seafood Restaurant
#2 Best Happy Hour
170 S. Market St., San Jose

The Fairmont

Best Hotel
Best Luxury Hotel - San Jose/Los Gatos
170 S. Market St., San Jose

Fairmont Hotel Lobby Lounge

#3 Best Jazz/Blues Club
#3 Best Hotel Bar
170 S. Market St., San Jose

The Grill on the Alley

#2 Best Martinis
172 S. Market St., San Jose

Music in the Park

Best Local Festival
Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose
A couple years ago I took my son to Music in the Park to see his first live rock band, Smash Mouth. He’ll always cherish that night.

San Jose Jazz Festival

#2 Best Local Festival
Various venues, downtown San Jose

Linda Ronstadt

Best Official South Bay Cultural Treasure
Mexican Heritage and Mariachi Festival artistic director
I include her as an El Caminoan because the 2010 San Jose Mariachi Festival culminated at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, which I also count as El Camino. It’s a long story.

Bill’s Beer Steamed Hot Dogs

Best Bacon Hot Dogs
Market and Santa Clara streets, San Jose

Hammer & Lewis Fashions

Best Name for a Downtown Store
19 S. First St., San Jose
It’s a San Jose thing. You wouldn’t understand.

Good Karma

Best Vegetarian Overall
#3 Best Asian Vegetarian
37 S. First St., San Jose

E&O Trading Company

Best Asian Fusion
#2 Best Malaysian Restaurant
96 S. First St., San Jose
Mmm…corn fritters…

Umbrella

#2 Best Hair Salon - San Jose/Sunnyvale/Los Gatos
2 N. Market St. #100, San Jose

Erik’s Deli

Best Deli/Sandwich Shop
2 North Market St., Suite 105, San Jose
717 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
1350 Grant Rd., Mountain View
Multiple locations

Ballet San Jose

Best Dance Company
40 N. First St., San Jose

Picasso’s

#3 Best Tapas/Small Plates
62 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

San Pedro Square Farmers Market

Best Farmers Market
San Pedro and Santa Clara streets, San Jose. Fridays, 10am-2pm

O’Flaherty’s

Best Irish Pub
25 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Peggy Sue’s

#3 Best Local Burger Place
29 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Sonoma Chicken

Best New Restaurant
Best Dining Value
Best Family Restaurant
31 N. Market St., San Jose
Multiple locations
I’m not sure how this counts as new, but I don’t argue the other awards. Apparently they dropped the “Coop” from the name.

Satori Tea Company

Best Place for a Destroyed Nervous System
37 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Britannia Arms, San Jose

Best British Pub
#2 Best Sports Bar
#2 Best Pre-Sharks Game Spot
#2 Best Restaurant Patio
#3 Best Happy Hour
173 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose
Metro readers really really like this place. Can you believe I’ve never been there?

Hotel De Anza

#3 Best Luxury Hotel - San Jose/Los Gatos
233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

Hedley Club Lounge (Hotel De Anza)

#2 Best Hotel Bar
233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

Schurra’s

Best Chocolate Shop
840 The Alameda, San Jose
A surprise win, but well-deserved. It’s special to me because I stopped by Schurra’s for an ice cream cone the day I created this blog. Sadly Bill Mundy, former owner of Schurra’s and father of the current owner, passed away last month, another sad loss to The Alameda.

The Watergarden

#3 Best Gay or Lesbian Bar
1010 The Alameda, San Jose
Recently I walked by this place, heard water running, and wondered what it was. Now I know.

The Usuals

Best Boutique-Gallery Crossover
1020 The Alameda, San Jose
The now classic “I heart SJ” tee shirts made them a lock for this prize. Congratulations to Mari and Mike, friends of AllCamino!

Recycle Bookstore

#2 Best Local Independent Bookstore
1066 The Alameda, San Jose

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Best Local Winery
1000 Lenzen Ave., San Jose
Also a great place to throw a party. We held my wife’s birthday party there a few years ago and it was a hit.

Tee Nee Thai

Best Thai Restaurant Beer and Wine List
1423 The Alameda, San Jose
Near and dear to me, the subject of my very first blog post.

Planned Parenthood

#3 Best Organization Making a Difference
1691 The Alameda, San Jose

YMCA

#2 Best Health Club
1717 The Alameda, San Jose
Various locations

KSCU-FM (103.3)

#2 Best College/Independent Radio Station
500 El Camino Real, #3207, Santa Clara

The Off Ramp

Best Bicycle Shop
2369 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
2320 El Camino Real, Mountain View
Funny how similar the two addresses are, but they’re nine miles apart. That’s El Camino!

Russell’s Furniture

Best Furniture Store
2645 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Santa Clara Ballet

#3 Best Dance Company
3086 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Orchard Supply

Best Alternative to Home Depot
3615 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
777 Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Fish Market

Best Seafood Restaurant
3775 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Trader Joe’s

Best Budget Gourmet Selection
727 Sunnyvale/Saratoga Rd., Sunnyvale
590 Showers Dr., Mountain View
Multiple locations

Rooster T. Feathers

Best Open Mic Night
New Talent Showcase, Wednesday
#3 Best Comedy Venue
157 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale

Armadillo Willy’s

Best Barbecue
161 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Peninsula Beauty

Best Beauty Supply
328 W. El Camino, Sunnyvale
642 San Antonio Road, Mountain View
1043 El Camino Real, Redwood City
Multiple locations

Beck’s Shoes

Best Shoe Store
711 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Adamson’s French Dip

#2 Best New Restaurant
806 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
Now I’m really excited to try this place.

Palace BBQ Buffet

#2 Best Korean Restaurant
1092 E. El Camino Real #1, Sunnyvale

Hotel Avante

#3 Best Boutique Hotel - Palo Alto/Mtn. View
860 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Kabul

#3 Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
833 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale

Chaat Paradise

#2 Best Indian Vegetarian
165 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Home Consignment Center

#2 Best Furniture Store
141 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Amber India

Best Indian Restaurant
2290 El Camino Real #9, Mountain View
600 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

California Billiard Club

#3 Best Place to Play Pool
881 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Lozano Brushless

Best Car Wash
2690 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too

#3 Best Moderately Priced Italian Food
939 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View
My favorite Italian family. Now I want bruschetta.

Fry’s Electronics

Best Computer Store
340 Portage Avenue, Palo Alto
Multiple locations

Dinah’s Garden Hotel

Best Secret Garden
4261 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Dan Brown’s

Best Vintage El Camino Bar
4141 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
And may I point out that this is the best category name ever!

Westin Palo Alto

#2 Best Luxury Hotel - Palo Alto/Mtn. View
675 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford

#2 Best Art Museum
Lomita Drive at Museum Way, Stanford

Hobee’s

Best Omelets
#3 Best American Restaurant
#2 Best Breakfast
3150 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
67 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto

Kirk’s

Best Local Burger Place
75 Town & Country, Palo Alto

LaBelle Day Spa

Best Hair Salon - Mtn. View/Palo Alto
Best Day Spa
95 Town and Country Village, Palo Alto
36 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto

Lavande Nail Spa

Best Pedicure
240 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto

Kepler’s

#3 Best Local Independent Bookstore
1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

Beltramo’s

Best Wine Shop for Bargain Hunting and Splurging
1540 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

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Posted in Santa Clara Street, Santa Clara, First Street, Market Street, Gilroy, Monterey Road, Stanford, Mountain View, El Camino Real, San Jose, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Sunnyvale, The Alameda | Print | 1 Comment »

El Camino Calendar

Thursday, September 30, 2010 by Bill.

More great events coming up this weekend. Be sure to check out my new El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues which always have a variety of activities going on.

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Monterey Road Redesign

A New Downtown – Help Shape Monterey Road

Saturday, October 2nd
17380 Monterey Road (corner of 2nd and Monterey)
Morgan Hill

The City of Morgan Hill is seeking community input on the redesign of Monterey Road between Dunne and Main Avenues, in downtown. A series of community meetings and open forums will be held to provide opportunities for input. With the community’s help, several alternatives will be developed to address community priorities for this important segment of road.
http://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/

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South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on OCT 1st, 2010!
8pm ’til LATE — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public
SoFA District (So. First Street between San Carlos and E. Reed streets)
http://southfirstfridays.com/

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Featured Exhibitions Artists Reception

KALEID Gallery presents new solo exhibitions by Mariana Barnes and John Eric Paulson on Friday, October 1st, 7-9pm.
KALEID Gallery
88 South Fourth Street
San Jose, CA
www.kaleidgallery.com

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SJMA’s First Back to Campus Night

Thursday, September 30, 2010
7—9 pm

San Jose Museum of Art
110 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Free for college students, faculty, and staff. An exclusive after-hours event for a private viewing of the exhibitions, complemented by DJs, the chance to try your hand at an LED light project, and Treatbot, the karaoke ice-cream truck.
http://www.sjmusart.org/

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Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon

Sunday, October 3, 2010
A 1/2 Marathon through the streets of San Jose complete with live bands along the course and a finish line concert featuring Blues Traveler.
http://san-jose.competitor.com/

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Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon Health & Fitness Expo

San Jose McEnery Convention Center
150 W. San Carlos Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Dates: October 1-2, 2010
Times: Friday, October 1st: 1pm- 6pm | Saturday, October 2nd: 9am- 5pm

Free Admission – Open to the public!

More than 80 exhibitors will feature merchandise, free samples, interactive displays, and exciting sweepstakes.

http://san-jose.competitor.com/expo

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Brandi Chastain Testimonial Soccer Game

An all-star Testimonial Soccer Game honoring the career of Brandi Chastain and raising funds for her new ReachUP! Foundation. Includes interactive family activities.

Saturday October 2, 2010

• Family friendly interactive activities begin at 3 p.m
• Clinic: 4 p.m. SOLD OUT
• Game: 6 p.m.

Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara University
http://reachupworld.com/

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An Evening with the Bard

Hosted by the British Bankers Club
1090 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
October 3, 2010
4pm to 7pm

Special Fundraiser to support the 2011 Season

Eat, drink, and make merry with the creative minds behind the Los Gatos and Mid-Peninsula Shakespeare Festivals. Join us at the British Bankers Club for appetizers and sweets, surprising entertainment, silent auction, and some word (and sword) play to round out the evening. Huzzah!
http://www.lgshakes.org/
Via InMenlo

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Posted in Market Street, Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, First Street, Santa Clara Street, El Camino Real, Menlo Park, Santa Clara, San Jose | Print | 1 Comment »

While His Guitar Gently Fandangos

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 by Bill.

On my second Menlo Monday adventure I did make it (on time) to a Music@Menlo chamber music event. It was a lunchtime “Café Conversation” titled “Spanish Spirit: Spain’s Influence over the Guitar’s Concert Repertoire with Guitarist Jason Vieaux.” I learned all about the history of classical guitar composition and performance in Spain and was treated to some spellbinding pieces performed by a virtuoso.

The presentation was held Monday, August 9, 2010 at Martin Family Hall on the Menlo School campus which hilariously is in Atherton, just off El Camino Real. I managed to get there without making any wrong turns this time. I had never been to Menlo School so I allowed myself a moment to take in the grand sweep of the opulent grounds. The centerpiece is the magnificent Stent Family Hall, formerly Douglass Hall, an Italian-style mansion built in 1913 and nearly demolished after the effects of the Loma Prieta earthquake, but saved by the efforts of the community.

The Music@Menlo Café Conversations are billed as free informal discussions on a variety of topics. Martin Family Hall is an intimate but very comfortable 180-seat theater. By the time the talk started nearly every seat was full, including the five rows in the center section which were reserved for young musicians participating in the festival’s Chamber Music Institute, an intensive program that pairs world-class instructors with teenaged prodigies. CMI at Menlo has been described as a sort of Hogwarts School where they teach music instead of magic.

The talk was given by Jason Vieaux, a young American classical guitar phenom. He was performing at a formal festival concert that evening but at lunchtime he sat alone on the stage and gave a lively lecture on the history of Spanish guitar music, highlighting key performers and composers from the last 400 years. He explained how early figures like Alonso Mudarra,  Gaspar Sanz, Fernando Sor, and Dionisio Aguado were tremendously influential in promoting the guitar as a serious instrument, but their compositions were generically European, emulating the styles of cultural powerhouses like Germany, Italy, and France. Still he pointed out how elements we typically identify as Spanish were evident even in the early works, such as hemiola rhythms (think “I Want to Live in Amer-i-ca”) and Moorish muezzin fanfares reflecting Spain’s period of Arab conquest. Then in the early 20th century composers like Julián Arcas, Isaac Albéniz (piano), and Francisco Tárrega came along and proudly tapped into the folk idioms of their homeland, incorporating flamenco dance flavors into their music, and the Spanish revolution was underway led by superstar players like Miguel Llobet and the great Andrés Segovia.

Vieaux illustrated his talk with a few YouTube videos but of course he simply played many pieces for us live, and I was awed by his mastery over the instrument. His fast and powerful technique is balanced by exquisite expression, and he’s able to coax a wide range of timbres from the guitar by controlling everything down to the angle he holds his strumming fingers. I chatted afterwards with Art, an amateur guitarist in attendance, to get his opinion. Art told me he was really impressed with Vieaux’ lyricism and that the day’s performance compared most favorably to or outshone others he had seen. Watch the video below for a sample of what we were treated to.

YouTube

While he played, for a few mortified moments I thought I heard someone snoring loudly in the front row but humorously it turned out to be Vieaux himself breathing loudly into his headset microphone. At the end he took questions from the audience and expounded on topics such as the space-age construction of his own instrument—a Wagner spruce and cedar Nomex sandwich with a rosewood back and titanium-nylon strings in case you were wondering—and the care and feeding of his gnarly guitar-plucking thumbnail, as big as a pick. I was there with my own agenda. I knew from various accounts that in the Mexican days, the most popular instrument in California was the guitar. I asked him if he was aware of any classical guitar music making its way onto the Californio ranchos. He didn’t know but he was intrigued by the question and guessed that the tunes probably stayed in the realm of popular folk music. Click here for a video of a wonderful group I just found, The Alta California Orchestra, that recreates the music of the fandangos or dance fiestas that brightened the lives of early Californians.

After the program I drove down El Camino to the Menlo Park Safeway, my first time there since they remodeled, to do a little light shopping and grab a late lunch smoothie from the Jamba Juice embedded inside the store. I didn’t love that experience. The Jamba Juice is a small satellite so they didn’t have the apple cinnamon pretzels I always get, they didn’t take my prepaid Jamba card (I’m a Jamba junkie), and the line at the counter inconveniently blocked shoppers with carts trying to exit the store. After I finished my drink I got a terrible headache and ended up going home early feeling sick. Next time I’ll stick to full-fledged Jamba stores and get nothing but groceries from Safeway. An unfortunate ending but overall another magical Monday in Menlo.

Posted in performances, high school, Atherton, people, history, retail, El Camino Real, events, Menlo Park, restaurants | Print | 1 Comment »

Jimmy Carter Visit

Saturday, September 18, 2010 by Bill.

President Jimmy Carter is coming to Kepler’s Books on El Camino Real in Menlo Park on October 26 to sign copies of his new book, White House Diary. He will not give a formal presentation; it will be a meet-and-greet event. You can purchase a ticket ahead of time which includes a copy of the book and a spot in the signing line. President Carter kept a daily journal during his four-year term in office and this edited, annotated diary is being made public for the first time. The release date is September 20, 2010.

The 1976 presidential campaign between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford is the first one I remember. I was six. At recess we held spirited political discussions in the schoolyard along the lines of, “Carter is a farter!” “Ford is a football!” Really. It’s funny, the things that stick in your memory. At least we had the whole rhyming and alliteration thing going, which is impressive for first graders. In any event, isn’t it refreshing that the level of discourse is so much more sophisticated today?

Kepler’s always has a stellar lineup of author appearances. President Carter headlines this fall but other notables include beach volleyball superstar Misty May-Treanor and “America’s Funniest Hostess,” Amy Sedaris. Check out Kepler’s complete list of upcoming events.

Jimmy Carter

Tuesday, October 26, 7:00 p.m.
Book Signing Only - Line forms at 6:00 p.m.
White House Diary
Purchase Tickets
Kepler’s
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
http://www.keplers.com/

Posted in memories, people, retail, Menlo Park, events, El Camino Real | Print | 1 Comment »